Joseph Huber- Mequon Public Market at Spur 16 Grand Opening, 6/22/19

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Could you ask for a better summer night... comfortable temperatures, a serene sunset glowing in the sky, a pristine new, hip venue at the Mequon Public Market, and the music of one of Milwaukee's true treasures, Joseph Huber.  Looking around, the large crowd gathered were a sea of smiling faces of all ages, from the very young to the young at heart, and all generations in between.  Joseph Huber has a way of connecting to the crowd in a way that few artists can, and through his humble banter and wonderfully crafted storytelling in his songs, Huber had his audience tapping their feet, grinning, and dancing throughout his two-set performance.

Huber was seated on his trademark suitcase... with his feet tapping rhythms on tambourine and kick drum, while the veteran troubadour sang, strummed the guitar,  and played the harmonica, regularly all at the same time during any given song.  Accompanying the one-man jam of Joseph Huber was longtime collaborator, Eston Bennett on upright bass and vocals, and Pat Otto on mandolin.  The trio had resounding and palpable energy that resonated with the crowd that increasingly grew throughout their performance.

photo by Will Piper

Joseph Huber is set to release his latest record, Moondog, next month and embark on a lengthy tour which will take him across the western part of the country with gigs in Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, and Montana.  There was a renewed energy and excitement to Huber and his band who performed two solid sets of music, mixing together everything from tunes from Huber's tenure in the .357 String Band, to deep cuts from his solo releases, to classic songs, and brand new numbers.  Highlights included first set classics like, "Playground/Battlefield" from 2017's amazing Suffering Stage LP, "An Old Mountain Tune," from 2012's Tongues of Fire record, and "The Hanging Road," from the 2014 Hanging Road release.

photo by Will Piper

The second set featured some more favorites like "Same River Twice," and "Fell off the Wagon," also from Tongues of Fire, along with some of Huber's new tunes.  A noteworthy track was "A Northwoods Waltz," which featured the Huber trio invoking the spirit of Van Morrison in a number that is sure to be a new favorite for audiences around the country with its beautiful lyric imagery and catchy chorus.  As the show concluded, Huber dropped a great cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City," done in the style of The Band, as well as a beautiful finale of "Hello, Milwaukee," from Tongues of Fire, which had the audience hanging on Joe's every word.  Noteworthy in the performance is how Eston Bennett's upright bass work has evolved to gel perfectly with Huber's rhythm guitar work and foot percussion.  Likewise, Otto's mandolin fills added a rich texture to the tunes and the audience greatly enjoyed his fast-paced picking.



 The opening of the Mequon Public Market at Spur 16 was something that was truly special for the Mequon community. "We so need something like this here... badly," stated Mequon resident Sepp Backus with an ear to ear grin after Joseph Huber finished his set.  Backus, 42, was a long time resident of Milwaukee's East Side and has recently relocated with his family to Mequon.  The Mequon Public Market gives the Mequon community, sprawled over one of Wisconsin's largest cities in terms of land area, a spot to congregate, enjoy tasty food, artisan wares, and, in the case of Saturday night, hear world-class music.  Many of the food vendors in the Mequon Public Market are establishments that you could only find downtown, in Riverwest in Bay View.  The vendors included Anodyne Coffee, Purple Door Ice Cream (my personal favorite), Beans and Barkley, Screaming Tuna, Cafe Corazon, Bavette La Boucherie, Bowls, Happy Dough Lucky, Santorini Grill, and La Terre.  The lively market certainly brought the community together as did Huber.  We are excited to hear more great music at the Mequon Public Market in the future.

Ben Nichols and Joseph Huber- The Back Room @ Collectivo; 6/7/19

There was a palpable buzz in The Back Room of Collectivo last Friday evening and for good reason. Ben Nichols and Oliver Peck rode into town for the second night of this year's Bikeriders Tour, an event that features the Lucero frontman and tattoo artist extraordinaire riding their motorcycles across the country together, enjoying the company of fans, and raising funds for victims of motorcycle accidents.  When venturing to Collectivo, I was expecting a sit-down singer-songwriter show.  Instead, fellow fans and I were treated to one of the more energetic, raucous and fun solo shows I've seen in quite some time featuring just one stellar songsmith, his passion for his music and his fans, and his guitar.

Ben Nichols is a veteran to the alt-country and Americana scene, having released a dozen records with Lucero over their nearly 20-year history as a band, along with solo material and music for the hit TV series The Walking Dead.  In fact, I am proud to say I was an early Lucero fan watching a very young group from Memphis open for the North Mississippi Allstars in 2001 at the Miramar Theater, not far from the Back Room at Collectivo.  Oddly, what stood out from that performance was the same thing that resonated last Friday- and that is Nichols's passion for his craft.


Nichols's trademark grizzled and gravely vocals shined through bright smiles and an overall feeling of humble gratitude and cheer.  Fans were treated to a robust set featuring well over twenty tunes that spanned across his career as a performer.  Highlights included classic Lucero numbers like, "The Bikeriders," (from 2005's Nobody's Darlings LP), "Texas and Tennessee" (from 2013's Texas and Tennessee EP) and, of course, "Nights Like These," (off of 2002's Tennessee LP).  However, the true takeaway of the set was Nichols's latest composition "Hello, My Name is Izzy," a lovely, dad-rock song about Nichols's daughter at the age of one.  This single released this year encapsulates a moment that many of the fans in attendance can share as they've grown with Lucero from early ruckus days to more reflective ones.

Opening for Ben Nichols was Milwaukee native and local treasure, Joseph Huber. While watching Huber's set Nichols came out from the green room close to where I was standing and sated, "damn, this guy is good."  That same sentiment was felt by the crowd, ten-fold.  Huber made a rare solo performance, standing and playing guitar and harmonica verses his normal position tapping rhythms while seated on a suitcase.  Huber, like Nichols, is a humble, earnest performer, who is quick to smile and connect with the crowd. The large audience swarmed the stage during Huber's set which featured a mix of new material from his forthcoming July release, Moondog, alongside classic Huber tracks.  Stand out performances included the new narrative country-themed track, "Rivers of Smoke,"  and a riveting set closer of "Hello, Milwaukee."  Huber and Nichols are both master storytellers and delivered a performance of great narrative tunes that was a treat for all in attendance.

Phil Cook & Charlie Parr- Turner Hall Ballroom, 5/17/19

Few artists know how to tell a tale better than Phil Cook or Charlie Parr.  The two Midwestern natives (Cook from Chippewa Falls, and Parr from Minneapolis) showcased their gifts for songwriting in front of a well-attended crowd at Milwaukee's Turner Hall Ballroom, while the Milwaukee Bucks played game two of the NBA Eastern Finals at the Fiserv Forum across the street.  While "Fear the Deer Fever" was infectious outside of the venue, with loud hoots, hollers and enthusiastic yelps from the crowd leading up to Turner Hall, the audience inside the ballroom was pin-drop quiet, anxiously hanging on each note of the songs masterfully performed by two gifted musicians.

Earlier in the day, Parr and Cook performed a "studio session" at local radio station 88.9 Radio Milwaukee where they spoke of the power of songs.  Parr remarked in the interview with 88.9's DJ Marcus Doucette that songs are really nothing but particles in the wind that take on a new life each time they are played.  This sentiment could not ring truer when thinking about the artistry of Charlie Parr and Phil Cook.  Their songs are truly living entities.  Once performed, they belong to everyone and can provide their listeners to a myriad of interpretations and emotions.  Masterfully crafted songs allow room for the listeners to insert themselves into the stories the songwriter is telling.  No song can ever be performed exactly the same twice.  It is the power of these masterful, narrative songs that draws listeners to Cook and Parr as individual artists, and when together, created a truly unique and special experience for the audience.  Both artists performed solo sets, and then came together for an encore which was a treat for their fans in attendance.

Charlie Parr was up first, sitting on his stool in his trademark flannel shirt, scraggly hair, avuncular smile, and two open guitar cases at his feet.  Parr's solo set featured a mix of material from his many releases.  Parr is as earnest and humble as can be.  In between his songs, he quipped with the crowd about how he doesn't mind mowing his lawn, but shoveling snow is another task altogether, a sentiment felt by the Milwaukee fans in attendance.  Parr's set contained a good mix of his more recent work.  Highlights included, "Cheap Wine," from his 2011 record by the same name.  "Dog,"  from 2017's Dog LP was also extremely well-received and had Turner Hall stomping their feet (respectfully of course) and singing along with the road-worn songsmith.

Next up was Phil Cook.  Like Parr, Cook does not operate with a set list but rather goes off of the vibe from the crowd to create the flow of his show.  Cook was dialed in and exuded his joy for music through his tales and Cheshire Cat grins that were evident every time he took the stage.  Few artists are more joyful than Cook.  Mixing together a smorgasbord of Americana stylings, Cook's set featured a slower-tempo, more gospel-infused version of  "Gone," a standout track from 2017's People Are My Drug LP.  A brief conversation with the audience about the importance of being mindful of how we feed our brains in our current age of information overload transitioned into a stellar rendering of "Steampowered Blues," another fantastic song from People Are My Drug.  The highlight of Phil's portion of the show, however, came not in the form of a vocal song, but rather in the instrumental numbers Cook played off his most recent 2019 record, As Far As I Can See, which is a compilation of instrumental recordings Cook has made over the past decade.  "The Jensens," which was dedicated to Cook's good buddy Chis Rosneau, was meticulously and soulfully performed.  

These two exceptional song smiths joined together for the final portion of the show, rendering a raucous version of "1922" a track that Parr originally penned and Cook covered for his terrific LP, 2015's Southland Mission.  However, the true show stopper was both gentlemen performing "Over the Red Cedar" off of Parr's Stumpjumper from 2014. The collective talent of Parr and Cook demonstrate two songwriters who share a powerful humility and undying faith and hope in the power of others, working together, to make a difference.

Chicken Wire Empire Ready to Move Mountains in 2019

photo by Hope Piper, MKE Rocks

What Moves Mountains, the sophomore LP by Milwaukee’s Chicken Wire Empire, is a stellar release that positions the quintet as a premier contemporary bluegrass outfit, on-par with many of the genre's best national acts.  Driven by exquisitely precise picking, steady bass grooves, beautiful vocal harmonies and, most of all, a true sense of joy, What Moves Mountains is a record that transports the listener into the epic bluegrass tales provided in the songs.

Like many modern bluegrass bands, Chicken Wire Empire honor the history of its predecessors and push forward by combining originally composed tracks alongside a thoughtful array of reimagined covers on the record. Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers,” Bill Monroe’s “Old Dangerfield,” Bad Livers’ “Lumpy Beanpole and Dirt,” and Woody Guthrie's “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad” (which was popularized by the Grateful Dead) are all given clever and honest reworkings by the group.  Original numbers like “Summer and Me,” “Still In Love With You,” and “Reckless,” are foot-tapping, booty-shaking, and head-bobbing treats. The group shows its dexterity with placing those tracks alongside more narrative storytelling tunes like “Maker,” “Rope,” and “Shotguns and Doublewides,”

Chicken Wire Empire is a balanced musical machine with each of the members being given room to groove, sing, and showcase their passion for their craft across the record’s eleven tracks.  The group which consists of Jordan Krueger (bass), Ryan Ogburn (mandolin), Jon Peik (banjo), Ernest Brusubardis IV (fiddle), and Greg Brundage (guitar) has never been tighter and much of the magic of their live sound is masterfully captured on this release.

The quintet recently played a headlining gig at the Cooperage which sold out well in advance.  The evening featured two sets of Chicken Wire Empire where the band showcased their well-timed musical chemistry for a truly joyful and uplifting performance.  First set highlights included a lengthy jammed-out rendition of “Maker” which featured some incredible interplay between Piek and Brusabardis, trading off licks on the banjo and fiddle respectively.  Brundage took on lead vocal duties for the group on a beautiful cover of “Peggy O,” originally performed by the Grateful Dead. For the second set, Ogburn took the helm with an epically jam-filled rendition of “Shotguns Suite.”

Recently we had a chance to catch up with Ryan Ogburn and Jordan Krueger:

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

MKE Rocks: What was it like to make It Moves Mountains?

Ryan Ogburn: It was probably one of the smoothest processes we’ve ever gone through as a group to record an album.  There was a lot of preparation and songwriting sessions and different arrangments and a lot of trial and error that we explored before we even got into the studio.

Jordan Krueger:  I’m really really happy and proud of that album.  The whole process of recording that album was extremely positive, especially compared to recording our first album.  The first day we did a four-hour rehearsal session while our sound engineer was setting tones while we rehearsed. The studio can be a little terrifying, as every subtlely is permanent.  It is very difficult to record an album when you’re known as a live band, but I think we did a really good job and folks are digging it.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

MKE Rocks: As a band that prides itself on improvisation and live performance, how were you able to harness that energy and create that feel on the record? In particular, Shotguns and Doublewides is a jam vehicle live and can go in so many directions… what was it like to record that one?

Ryan Ogburn: Shotguns and Doublewides is actually a very old song that I recorded a long time ago that has gone through a number of arrangements and incarnations.  I tried recording it again on the first Chicken Wire Empire album and it just wasn’t right. It took a while to get it out live, and it has continued to evolve since the record.  We tried to keep it more a little more contained on the record but were able to capture its groove well. It certainly is a fun one to play live.

Jordan Krueger: We recorded most of the album live, so when you’re hearing the record and you think, gosh, this sounds like Chicken Wire, it’s because it was recorded straight in the studio.  A lot of solo sections were done live. On “Old Dangerfield,” that spacey part was all done live. We wanted to make a studio record but really wanted to make sure that the sessions were live so that we could recreate that feel as much as possible. For some of the longer tunes, we cut out some of the parts, so that fans could experience the longer jams live, and also have the experience of having the studio stuff too.  

MKE Rocks: 2018 was a great year for you all, capped off with a show opening for Horseshoes and Handgrenades at the Pabst.  What was that experience like?

Ryan Ogburn: That show was really kind of a celebration of a lot of what we had accomplished throughout 2018.  It was so beautiful how it all came together. We have been wanting to play with Horseshoes and Handgrenades for a long time and have been on similar paths.  Adam, from Horseshoes and Handgrenades, really helped us out with encompassing the folk music revival across the country and in the upper midwest.

Jordan Krueger: Horseshoes and Handgrenades are old friends, so we’ve known them for a while.  Playing the Pabst felt like a whole new level for us. We were pretty in awe when we were introduced at the Pabst, while we were standing on stage and our emcee rattled off a list of legendary names who played the Pabst.  It made us feel pretty good thinking about all of the names before us and then standing on stage feeling like, "Man, I’m so glad to be here." That same night was the official release of What Moves Mountains so it was a really great night and kick off to the new year.  That whole shebang was prettty awesome.

MKE Rocks: As a musician familiar with the Milwaukee scene for some time now, you’ve had a chance to play in many bands and watch bands break past the shores of Lake Michigan and beyond.  Can you comment please about your thoughts about the Milwaukee Americana scene with acts like Chicken Wire Empire, Dead Horses (which you play with), Buffalo Gospel (who (Ryan) used to play with), Joseph Huber, Nickel and Rose, the list of awesome talent goes on and on!

Ryan Ogburn: I feel like we are really blessed to be existing and thriving during this time. There is so much talent circulating around this immediate area.  I feel like Milwaukee has really grown in that, and potentially rivals other big music cities with its vibrant scene.

Jordan Krueger: We just played the Wisconsin Bluegrass Festival in Madison.  We made round two, which shows that the scene is really thriving.  The bluegrass scene is amazing because everyone interacts and works together.  The scene is amazingly collaborative, friendly, and supportive. We all love each other and the scene is really great here.  It is so positive and so unique for a music scene to be like that.

MKE Rocks (to Ryan Ogburn): Is it hard for you as a musician to balance time between acts (such as playing with Chicken Wire Empire and Dead Horses)?

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Ryan Ogburn: I feel like we all are very connected as a community with multiple members that intermingle.  Buffalo Gospel is a supergroup with all amazingly individually talented musicians. Same with Dead Horses… Dan and Sarah as a duo just crush it and then they choose from an array of Midwestern musicians and beyond.  I really see this as another notch to the thriving midwest music scene. They (Dead Horses) could pick up players from Nashville, Los Angeles or Seattle and do just fine, but the talent from the northern midwest is just so great.  It goes back to Trampled by Turtles and that whole group and there is really a rich music scene that reaches beyond to groups like Field Report and even Justin Vernon. It is really coming to the surface for me as a musician seeing what talent we have here in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and the rest of the northern midwest.  We truly have so many amazing and wonderful musicians.

MKE Rocks: What does 2019 hold in store for CWE?  The sold-out Cooperage show was clearly a highlight.  Any big plans for you and the band?

Ryan Ogburn: We have a lot of big plans.  Getting ideas together for the next album is a the forefront of what we’re doing these days.  We have been invited to be part of several festivals including Blue Ox, Moon Dance, and we’re headlining Larry Fest and having a bunch of really great regional festivals that we have been working towards for many years and with all that momentum, we are really excited to write and arrange a lot of new music to get into the studio as soon as possible.  We have great gigs coming up all over the midwest, and we’re also super pumped to play the Rock the Green Earth Day event with Lex Allen this year on April 27th.

Cold rain and snow can't stop great music from being made... check out Chicken Wire Empire and Lex Allen at Rock the Green's Earth Day Celebration Saturday, April 27th from 12-2 at Estabrook Park, Picnic Area #8.

Steve Gunn- 4/18/19, Cactus Club

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Masterfully blurring together aspects of country, folk, blues, jazz, and psychedelic rock, Steve Gunn’s guitar work has earned him the reputation of being one of the best performers in the business today. However, Gunn’s songwriting and lyrics, especially on his latest release The Unseen In Between, which dropped this January, have helped establish him as an amazing singer-songwriter act who has the power to transport his listeners on a journey that defies both time and space.  Gunn is touring in support of The Unseen In Between, a nine song record that showcases his finest songwriting to date-- taking listeners on a cross-country trip punctuated by Gunn’s keen observations of the characters and experiences he’s encountered along the way.  There is something universally relatable and simultaneously transcendental about Gunn’s music. His lyrics often leave lots of room for interpretation, allowing listeners to insert themselves into Gunn’s tales. This is seen particularly on the track, “New Moon,” which leads off The Unseen In Between with the lines, “I see a glimmer, across the wall, through the mirror, out past the streets, beyond the weather, to that place no one seems to know.”  There is a masterful intracity between Gunn’s lyrics and singing and the guitar work that creates a rich fabric of timbres. Gunn’s music, songwriting and expression cannot be confined to any one style or genre, and through his songcraft and performance, Gunn has become a “can’t miss” live performer.  

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Recently Steve Gunn packed the storied Cactus Club in Bay View, Wisconsin with droves of fans clamoring to hear Gunn’s songs and guitar stylings lined-up at the doors of the jam-packed venue.  Gunn is an unassuming presence live who lets the strength of his music do the talking. Donning a denim jacket, bright red Chuck Taylor’s and low-key grin, Gunn performed a masterful set to kick off the US leg of his tour in support of The Unseen In Between. Joined on stage with a killer backing band that included Paul Sukeena on guitar, TJ Maiani on drums, and Liam Cunningham on both upright and electric bass, Gunn entranced the audience from the first notes of “Wildwood,” a track off his 2014 Way Out Weather LP.  From there he launched full-throttle into The Unseen In Between with the stand-out “Vagabond.”  Other choice cuts from Gunn’s most recent LP like “Chance,” and “New Moon,” were on-point live.  The set highlight, however, was a spellbinding rendition of “Lightning Field,” dedicated to everyone who showed up to the show.  The jam in the middle of the track and guitar solo hold up as some of Gunn’s most nuanced and catchiest work to date. After a rich seventy-five minutes of music, Gunn closed his show with a beautiful encore of “Morning is Mended,” which featured Steve solo on stage with just his acoustic guitar and mad-scientist board of effects pedals.  The band then came back to join him for a vintage jam on “Way Out Weather,” also from the 2014 Way Out Weather record.  Steve Gunn is an amazing performer that you need to experience live.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Mdou Moctar- The Cooperage; Warm-Up Party for Psych Fest VII 4/5/19

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Some call him the Jimi Hendrix of the Sahara.  Others compare him to Prince (after all, he did star in a Tuareg remake of “Purple Rain,” titled, “Rain the Color Blue with a Little Red in It” ), but after seeing Mdou Moctar live, he is an artist like none other; a unique entity with a style, stage presence, and sound all of his own. Mdou Moctar and his band, consisting of Ahmoudou Madassane on rhythm guitar, Soulemane Ibrahim on drums, and Mikey Coltun on bass delivered a wall of psychedelic guitar-focused music to a packed house at The Cooperage for the preview party for Milwaukee’s Psych Fest VII.  The band has been touring almost non-stop these days, bringing the psychedelic sounds of the Sahara all across the United States and beyond. Amidst all of Mdou’s guitar prowess, it was the pure joy that emanated from his music that made him an incredibly engaging performer and one who is primed to soar in today's music scene.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Currently hailing from the Saharan city of Agadez, Niger, the epicenter of the increasingly popular Tuareg guitar sound, Mdou Moctar’s back-story story is an uplifting and gripping one.  As a young person living in the village of Tchintabaraden and then in the uranium mining town Arlit, playing music was not widely accepted in the culture. Mdou taught himself how to play a homemade guitar created from a piece of wood strung with bicycle brake wires.  Despite this, Mdou’s songs, which are steeped in honor, respect, and tradition gained favor amongst the local village and religious leaders. Mdou gained recognition for playing weddings in his home village and began to develop a strong following.  With the help of the digital age and artists trading music in the Sahara region via Bluetooth technology and memory cards on cell phones, Mdou’s music reached the ears of Christopher Kirkley, who, with his label, “Sahel Sounds,” helped introduce Mdou Moctar to audiences around the world, exposing the Tuareg artist to a plethora of new fans.

Mdou Moctar’s latest record, 2019’s Ilana (The Creator), is a guitar lover’s dream, and a record that is poised to make many "end-of-the-year, 'best of' lists."  The nine-song record transports listeners on a jam-infused journey to the desert region of northern Niger, the land of Mdou’s Tuareg people. Recorded live, the album has a groove-driven vibe and original face-melting guitar sound that hooks the listener upon the first spin and makes them want to come back repeatedly for more, finding a new takeaway each time.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Live, Mdou’s jams often take on a palpable, hypnotic sense of surrealism.  A perfect artist to headline the warm-up party for Milwaukee’s Psych VII, Mdou’s songs took on a life of their own, showcasing his incredible range as a guitar virtuoso and vocalist.  His backing band provided a deep groove to support the layers of guitar solos and jams that Mdou delivered. The set drew heavily from Ilana (The Creator) with a fair amount of improvisation and deep jams that made the songs smoothly flow into one another.  With big smiles and a warm demeanor, Mdou and his band left the fans at the Cooperage mesmerized. Mdou Moctar is clearly an artist on the rise and we can’t wait to see him again next time he comes through Milwaukee.

Liz Cooper and the Stampede- The Back Room of Colectivo, March 10, 2019

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Liz Cooper and the Stampede deliver a sonic wall of psychedelic-Americana music that is unique, genre redefining, thought-provoking, and above all, interesting and fun.  The Nashville power trio comprised of Liz Cooper (guitar and vocals), Grant Prettyman (bass and vocals) and Ryan Usher (drums and vocals) create introspective, observant, and simultaneously face-melting tunes, while putting on one heck of a live performance.  Their stop at the Back Room at Colectivo on a late winter’s Sunday in Milwaukee proved their power as a headlining act.

From the moment you entered the Back Room at Colectivo, Cooper and company had surprises in store, including cardboard cut-outs of the band, as well as faux floral arrangements on stage, alongside Garfield stuffed animals, rubber chickens, a stuffed dog, and even a plastic dinosaur.  Liz Cooper and the Stampede opened their show by taking the stage to John Williams’s “Hedwig’s Theme” from the Harry Potter movies.  This unique opening was most fitting as fans in attendance were truly about to experience a magical evening of music.  

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

The band drew heavily off of their stellar 2018 release Window Flowers, opening with the first track of the record, “Sleepyhead,” and wasting no time getting into a jammed out rendition of “Dalai Lama,” early in the set, which drew huge applause from the capacity crowd, and featured Cooper shredding through the nearly ten minute track on guitar.  Other set highlights included a groovy, laid back version of “Motions,” a fantastically harmonizing version of “The Night,” and a rousing and raucous set-closing “Hey Man.” The trust between band members was evident as the set went on as Liz Cooper and the Stampede seamlessly flowed songs into one another.  Drummer Ryan Usher is an incredibly engaging performer on stage and a virtuoso percussionist who anchors Cooper’s tunes along with Prettyman’s steady and powerful bass licks.

The band also tested out new material, including a new number, "Je Taime," written at “The Refuge,” a former monastery turned artist-retreat center in the Appleton, Wisconsin area.  From new numbers to old, there is a genuine joy and passion that is palpable while enjoying Cooper’s music live.

Recently we had a chance to catch up with Liz Cooper to talk about touring, performing, her cardboard cutouts and plans for 2019.  

MKE Rocks: Last year has been a great year for you, with your exceptional record, Window Flowers, which was one of our favorite records of the year on MKE Rocks.  When we first saw you perform it was in support of Phosphorescent this past December. What was that tour like for you?

Cooper: It was amazing. It was great because you really got to know everyone from the other band.  Everyone was super inspiring and a lot of fun. We meshed really well. We are doing all these shows now that we're touching the markets we played with Phosphorescent and seeing a lot of similar people coming out who saw us play with Phosphorescent.  It’s been really fun.

MKE Rocks: One of the things I loved about your show was the cardboard cutouts on the stage of you and Grant Prettyman at the start of the show.  I thought that was clever and kind of funny and interesting. I had never seen anything like that before. Do cardboard Grant and Liz come out for all shows, or was that a special occasion last time at Turner Hall?

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

Cooper: Setting up Cardboard Grant, Cardboard Liz and now Cardboard Ryan on stage is a really fun thing to do when we are opening for other bands.  As the opening act, we set all of our stuff up and get it ready, and the first thing that the audience sees when they come in are the cardboard cutouts.  It is a nice and seamless thing to have at opening shows and people enjoyed it.

For headlining shows, it would be weird to have the cardboard cutouts on stage with another band opening up for us, so we do not use them in that capacity on this tour.  It is fun to have quirky things on stage, and as we grow that too will grow, and we’ll have different things to add as we go along.

MKE Rocks: You are in the midst of a very extensive tour, taking you all over the country.  What do you enjoy the most about touring and bringing your music to new audiences?

Cooper: I am really enjoying seeing who’s coming out to these shows.  A lot of people are new to seeing us, but a lot of people who have seen us play other shows are now coming and bringing their friends, and that is really amazing.  On this tour, we’re testing out new songs and playing them for people for the first time, which has been a lot of fun too.

We have never really played headlining shows on a big tour.  It is very different from opening and a totally different vibe.  It has been a really good learning experience People are coming and shows are selling out and in advance.  This is the first time we’ve had that, and it’s been really amazing. Having that kind of support is so inspiring and makes me want to work harder and play the very best we can play and make it a real experience for people.

MKE Rocks: What’s your favorite thing about performing your music live?

Cooper: Playing music, really.  We’re sitting in a van all day, so having the time to do what we love to do is so important.  We could be having an awful day and all of that goes away when we start playing. We change the set a lot and it’s really cool to experiment with that.  We like to come up with new things on the fly as a band and the interaction with us and the audience members are awesome too.

MKE Rocks: Do you have any big plans for 2019, aside from the massive tour that you’re on?  Anything you’re especially looking forward to?

Cooper: We are working on new music and making our second record and constantly writing.  I’m really looking forward to going on tour with Dr. Dog and Shakey Graves this fall.  I’m a big fan of those bands and can’t wait for that experience.

photo courtesy of Gigshotz by Stephen Bloch

MKE Rocks: It seems like right now is a particularly exciting time for women in the indie singer-songwriter scene with artists like Margo Price, Phoebe Bridges, Lucy Dacus, Courtney Barnett, Sharon Van Etten, Amanda Shires and yourself in that mix.  As an artist, what is your take on the scene at the current moment?

Cooper: I think women are rising up!  There are a lot of really powerful women with a lot to say. I think we are dominating the music scene, and that is really amazing.  Margo Price is just someone to look up to and is very supportive of other women in Nashville and has been a mentor to a lot of my friends.  I think it’s really important for women to help each other. What’s best about all of this is that people are paying attention, not because there are a lot of talented female artists, but because there is a lot of amazing music being made.  People are doing amazing things and it’s their sound that’s important. In addition to the artists you mentioned, I want to throw Lilly Hiatt, Natalie Prass, and Erin Rae in that group as artists who are doing just amazing things too!

MKE Rocks: Speaking of good artists, anything that you’re listening to right now that you're particularly enjoying?
We listen to everything, really. Right now I’m really enjoying Amen Dunes, Childish Gambino and  Stereolab. Grant is always listening to Dawes and Vulfpeck. Ryan listens to a lot of Rhye We’re always listening to anything that stands out to us.

Setlist: Sleepyhead Outer Space Dalai Lama Motions The Night Fondly and Forever Mountain Men Je Taime Hey Man Encore: Feeling Good (Liz solo) Lights